


Sharp and Pointy

by Jacklope



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 19:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10367811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacklope/pseuds/Jacklope
Summary: She will pull them back up. Even if it kills what is left of her softness. She won't be a kunochi, but a weapon and a pillar. And she will destroy anything that stands to hurt her wounded, fragile, and crumbling family.She will.She has too.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> A gift for my sister, pinkahiru. 
> 
> Why did Neji have to dieeeeeee. 
> 
> I don't own Naruto, the characters belong to Kishimoto

TenTen-

There is a space in her heart now that is cold and empty and she knows nothing will ever fill it. She knows this is the same for Lee who has cried on her shoulder more times these last few months than she has ever seen him cry, and he cries quite often. Usually, out of spirit of youth. But not this time.

The hardness of her heart does not soften anymore when she sees her broken Sensei in a hospital bed. Lee cries again. Gai cries with him. She does not. 

She feels like she should cry. For her fallen comrade. For the village. For her Sensei. For Lee. For herself. 

She does not.

Instead she stands and much like her beloved weapons she feels herself become sharp. Become pointed and hard. And she knows she will be their pillar. She will hold Lee when he wakes from a nightmare about his fallen friend, and rival. She will be there when her Sensei who has always been a cheerful and optimistic person feels defeated and hopeless. 

She will pull them back up. Even if it kills what is left of her softness. She won't be a kunochi, but a weapon and a pillar. And she will destroy anything that stands to hurt her wounded, fragile, and crumbling family. 

She will.

She has too. 

* * * 

Sakura- 

She has cried more times in the last few weeks, or months, or something than she feels she ever has. She has lost track of time. 

She weeps openly because the boys she considers family are back in her arms, admittedly they'really both idiots, which makes her cry even harder. 

She weeps for her Sensei who died and then wasn't, who has faced comrades and lost them. 

She weeps for the ones who did not makes it. 

She weeps for those who did and lost friends and family must hold their names etched into their heart. 

She is all tears because she has no strength left. There are no pillars inside her. They have crumbled to dust. This is what's left of her family and her world and her life. 

She weeps because she knows the future will be much brighter, but much harder and she must harness this softeness. She will need it when her strength fleas her. She will need to give them the gentle caress of her hand even when she wants to punch them so hard they explode (and she has done it before). She must hold them even when she feels like killing them. 

If she is not soft, they will all turn to stone, they will shatter, they will fly into the wind. 

There will be no more of her family. 

She cries because they won't. She is soft because they are hardened. 

\-------- 

"I wish you could see these birds flying. They're finding their freedom too."- Neji Hyuuga. 

TenTen- 

"It has been years, TenTen-chan. I cannot believe you still come here every morning." 

"Well, Lee, a lot has happened and I have a lot to tell him. Like Naruto becoming Hokage. Or Sai and Ino's wedding. Or Naruto and Hinata's wedding! Or how Gai-sensei still insists on standing even with his legs the way they are! Or how he moved in with Kakashi-sama, er, sensei." 

As she says this she avoids looking at him. Instead she braids the flowers she brought into a flower crown she will place on Neji's grave when she leaves. 

"I do not believe this is what he would have wanted, TenTen-chan. I believe he would have wanted you to be out there living your life, not watching it just to tell him."

She can feel his concern. She can feel all of their concern. All of the time. She has stayed so strong for so long and for so many people and has never once allowed herself to move on, or to grieve. She is a relic of the past. Like her dying weapons shop. There is no need for sharp and pointy pieces in a world of peace. There is no need for someone cold and harsh in a world of soft and happiness. She can feel the way Lee looks at her, his mouth tured down, brows pulled together, fist slightly curled. She can feel the way Gai softens around her, for her, how his voice lowers and his mouth becomes a soft line. 

It is ridiculous and she hates it. 

"Lee, it's fine. I'm only here for a few hours everyday. Kakashi-sensi was at the memorial stone for far longer than me!" 

Lee places a hand on her shoulder. 

"Is that what you want, TenTen-chan? To become someone who is haunted by ghosts, who can only find closure years later?" 

She inhales sharply. Lee has never spoken like this about a Sensei before. She stands and places the flower crown on Neji's grave. She whispers to him. And then she stands and without looking leaves. 

"TenTen-chan! Wait!" 

She does not look back. If she does, she will cry. For the first time since Neji died. 

****

"When two Shinobi are powerful enough...They read each other's thoughts, simply through an exchange of fists. Without ever uttering a single word."- Sasuke Uchiha 

Sakura- 

"Well, I have your test results back." 

Ino fidgets nervously at Sakura's factual way of saying this. She is worried. She has been ill for a while now and Sai has finally convinced her to come to Sakura, in the cold and sterile environment of the hospital. She is biting her bottom lip and looks on the verge of tears. 

Sakura softens. 

"You better stop by the book store on the way home. I'm sure Sai will need a book to know how to parent!" Sakura smiles and Ino bursts into tears and is laughing. Sakura can feel the way she relaxs. 

"Are you joking, billboard brow?" 

"Hey, remember who takes your blood, Ino pig! And no! I'm not! You are going to be a mom!" 

They laugh and cry and hug each other. Overall, it is a happy and warm feeling. 

This is Sakura's job. And she is tired. She fills everyone with as much hope and comfort and softness as she can muster everyday. 

Ino throws her a glance over her shoulder before she leaves to, presumably , tell Sai the news, and if Sakura knows her, the rest of the leaf village. 

The glance she gives Sakura pierces her through the heart. Because Ino and her know each other. And she knows Sakura is tired of being the soft and delicate little flower. That she is not allowed to be angry or bitter. 

"Sakura...." 

"Get put of here. Go tell your idiot husband that your about to have a piglet" Sakura sticks her tongue out. 

Ino smiles and laughs and leaves. 

Her shift is over. She will go home. She will read medical manuals or check on Hinata-chan, or water her neighbors garden, or make sure Kakashi-sensi and Gai-sensei aren't straining themselves to hard. She will give and give and give until she falls into bed and cries and falls asleep. 

She runs face first into TenTen. 

"Hey! Oh. It's you Sakura." 

"Oh, gosh, I am so sorry TenTen! I wasn't looking. I was just." 

"Hey why are you crying and apologizing? I ran into you! You should be mad at me!" 

***** 

TenTen- 

The street is a disaster. In fact, it's worse than TenTen has seen it in years. There are kunai sticking into vendors stalls and shattered pavement from Sakura's fist. 

She's not really sure how they ended up fighting. She goaded Sakura a bit, since Sakura is always kind and sweet and it makes her a bit mad. Then Sakura made a quip about how she wasn't going to take the bait from someone who was stuck on the mourning process. 

This made TenTen mad. So she hit her. And called her some names. 

Sakura hit her back. And said she would help her since she couldn't help herself. Snarled it, even. 

"Stage one! Shock or disbelief!" That is when Sakura used Cherry Blossom Clash. Shock, was an understatement. 

TenTen unrolled her scroll.

"Stage two, denial! The stage you're stuck on. And the denial that you can win this! Chya!" Her fist slammed into the wall by TenTen's head. TenTen swings a large hammer she summoned towards her.

"Stage three bargaining! How many times did you beg for it to be the other way around? That Neji-san could be the one at your Sensei's physical therapy? That-" her sentence was cut off by TenTen releasing a shower of shuriken. She felt it bubbling under the surface. Sakura needed to stop. 

"Stage FOUR," Sakura rolled and growled "Guilt, you wish you had been STRONG ENOUGH TO PULL HIM BACK."

TenTen listens to her yell. She looks angry and beautiful. She had not seen her this angry since before Sasuke returned. 

As Sakura's fist came flying towards her she heard

" Stage five, which i am covering for the both of us, anger!" 

Her fist collided with TenTen's freshly summoned staff, shattering it. She cartwheeled away. 

 

Sakura's shoulders were ridged as she gathered up the chakra to attack again.

"Stage six, depression. Cry! Cry TenTen! He was your FRIEND. You LOVED HIM. Stop making OTHERS CRY FOR YOU." Sakura was yelling and her fist slammed into the ground inches from where TenTen sat crying.

Sat crying? She was crying. Oh god and it hurt and it felt good and it was so much. 

And Sakura was so angry and she lifted her fist and TenTen lifted her kunai and they were inches from each other. 

"WHAT THE HELL."   
"TenTen-chan, no!" 

Naruto had grabbed Sakura's fist and Lee had pulled TenTen backwards. 

Naruto in all of his Hokage gear looked in disbelief and a little afraid. 

Lee looked concerned. 

"It's nothing Naruto. Let them go. They're just talking. You understand." 

Sasuke said from where he stood on a roof over them.

"Yeah but they're destroying the village-ttbayo!" 

"I have been watching and moving civilians. No one was in real danger." 

Naruto looked lost. 

"Forget it. I think we are done. I want to take TenTen somewhere anyway" Sakura had grabbed her wrist and was pulling her away from them. TenTen was still crying, hard. 

She didn't need to look back to know the boys felt sad for her. 

 

*****

Sakura- 

It felt good. To be angry and let it out. She would be lying if she said anything else. She felt alive and she felt something inside of her heal. So that is why she owed it to TenTen. To heal what was broken inside of her. 

She stopped. 

"Wh...what are w...we doing...sa-sa-sakura?" TenTen asked, still crying as she looked at the outside of Ino's house. 

Sakura relaxed her grip on TenTen's hand. Then she brushed TenTen's odangos back into place. 

She thought of being soft, but instead she let her strength out. She wanted it to leak out and be something the girl could hold onto. 

 

"Step Seven. Acceptance. He's gone TenTen. He isn't coming back. And there is nothing you can do to change that. It's time. It's been time for a while. Just. Stop being so, typically you. So strong and willful. Be sad and be hurt and then be soft."

"N-no. I can't! I have to be-e. Sharp. Nnn pointy. For for for Lee. And g-g-gai." 

"No you don't. You are not a weapon, you are a person. And they have already found their own strength, TenTen! They don't need yours! This isn't what Neji would have wanted! For you to be shackled to the memory of someone else! He was always talking about freedom!" 

TenTen became hysterical at this point. Sakura took the girl in her arms and held her with strength. She smelled of sweat, and dirt, and slightly of oranges. She listened to her cry about Neji and Lee and Gai and strength. Dusk was settling when she finished. 

"Thank you." 

TenTen said it as a small whisper. It sounded soft.

Sakura took her hand again.

"I can be strong for you. If you want. And you can be soft for me. For a while. Until we can both be soft and strong." 

TenTen smiled. She squeezed Sakura's hand. That was all the reply she needed to lean in and kiss the girl. The world exploded if only for the brief second the kiss lasted. 

"Um. Why are we at Ino's house?" She said cocking her head. 

"Oh! Oh yeah. Anyway, this will be the last step for you. Sai did this for Ino and I a bit back. Although, ours was flowers and I don't think yours will be." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"You'll see." Sakura smirked and pulled her up the walkway. 

 

A few hours later TenTen left holding Sakura's hand, a fresh new tattoo of a bird with the words "Stronger than Yesterday" around it on her shoulder.

She felt Neji smile. She squeezed Sakura's hand. 

Tomorrow. She would start living again.


End file.
